Ward and Hughes was preceded by the company Ward and Nixon, whose studio was at 67 Frith Street, Soho.[2][3] They created large window for St Stephen Coleman Street, London.[2] James Henry Nixon worked on the restoration of the fa amous medieval stained glass at St. Neots in Cornwall as early as 1829.[4] The firm became a favourite of Charles Winston, which helped them gain prestigious commissions like the east window of Lincoln Cathedral.[5] In 1857 Nixon died and his pupil, Henry Hughes, became the partner of Thomas Ward, and the business was renamed Ward and Hughes.[6] Henry Hughes died on the 17th February 1883 and was buried in a family vault (no.14843) on the western side of Highgate Cemetery.
T. F. Curtis took over the firm and continued production as T. F. Curtis, Ward and Hughes until the late 1920s.[7]
